Electric mop

ABSTRACT

The mop can be enclosed in a housing. Backing members hold mopping members and both are preferably located below the housing. A series of gears transmit force from a single motor to two drive shafts that connect to the upper portion of the coupling member. Multiple gears in series create a path where energy and mechanical movement travels to the drive shaft. The drive shaft moves mopping members. Circular mopping members contact with the floor to wipe it clean. Dual circular mopping members made of disposable material such as paper or light cloth counter rotate to preserve axial stability.

DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART

[0001] Mopping floors is a time consuming event and requires a substantial amount of manual labor. Various machines have attempted to replace manual labor with multiple machine actuated mopping members. A notable device is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,587 featuring a number of mopping members.

[0002] Most of these machines are adapted for heavy-duty commercial use and cumbersome when cleaning small areas. The present invention attempts to provide a lighter weight and less complex mechanism that can be kept clean easily. A marble, granite or other smooth floor requires constant maintenance. Oftentimes dust or spills must be cleaned on a daily basis.

[0003] Also, the various mopping machines of the state of the art are ill suited for tight spaces in residential kitchens. Many machines are too heavy and large to use in a home setting. The current machines also contain numerous parts and are expensive to purchase and maintain.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device showing ornamentation of the housing.

[0005]FIG. 2(a) is a top view of mopping member.

[0006]FIG. 2(b) is a side view of mopping member.

[0007]FIG. 3(a) is a top view of the device.

[0008]FIG. 3(b) is a front view of the device.

[0009]FIG. 3(c) is a side view of the device.

[0010]FIG. 4(a) is a top view of the backing member.

[0011]FIG. 4(b) is a side view of the backing member.

[0012]FIG. 5(a) is a top view of the top half of the coupling member.

[0013]FIG. 5(b) is a front view of the top half of the coupling member.

[0014]FIG. 5(c) is a side view of the top half of the coupling member.

[0015]FIG. 6(a) is a top view of one of two gear assemblies.

[0016]FIG. 6(b) is a front view of one of two gear assemblies.

[0017]FIG. 7(a) is a bottom view of a housing panel showing reinforcing cross structures.

[0018]FIG. 7(b) is a front view of the same housing panel.

[0019]FIG. 8(a) is a transparent view of the device showing various parts.

[0020]FIG. 8(b) is an exploded perspective view of the device showing assembly of the housing holding the wheels and gears.

[0021]FIG. 8(c) is an exploded perspective view of the device showing assembly of the motor and gear drive held by the housing.

[0022]FIG. 8(d) is an exploded perspective view of the device showing assembly of the motor and gear drive held by the housing.

[0023]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the device.

[0024]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the device.

[0025]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the device.

[0026]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the device.

[0027]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the device.

[0028]FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the device.

[0029]FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the device.

[0030]FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0031] A. Mopping Members and Backing Members

[0032] The cleaning device, as seen in FIG. 1, is preferably contained within a housing 120 and is capable of cleaning such as mopping, polishing, and scrubbing tasks. The housing 120 holds moving parts such as gears and motors.

[0033] For floors or tile surface having greater frictional interaction, the housing must be raised above the floor by a vertical adjustment mechanism. Wheels attached to the bottom side of the housing can implement the vertical adjustment mechanism. Wheels can support the housing to raise it above the floor and alleviate force against the mopping members. The preferred configuration uses three wheels attached to the housing that can be adjusted vertically to allow adjustment of downward force applied by the mopping members. Alternatively, gliders integrally formed with the housing may slide on the floor to support the housing as it moves above the floor. The gliders can be coated with low friction material to allow minimal frictional engagement with the floor.

[0034] Backing members 110 hold mopping members 100 and both are preferably located below the housing 120. FIG. 3(a) shows a top view of the device where the mopping members and the backing members both protrude from the housing. FIG. 3(b) shows the front view of the device and depicts the mopping members and the backing members protruding from the lower portion of the housing. FIG. 3(c) confirms that the side of view of the device shows the same. Wheels 130 optionally assist a user on hard floors. A handle is attached to the upper portion of the housing 140.

[0035] As seen in FIG. 2(a), circular mopping members 100 contact with the floor to polish, scrub and wipe it clean. Dual circular mopping members 100 made of varied disposable material such as paper or light cloth counter rotate to preserve axial stability. A laminate mopping member 100 can be constructed from a light cloth upper side and a paper lower side, where the paper lower side contacts the floor. The paper surface may be coated with a variety of different cleaning surface textures suitable for different tasks.

[0036]FIG. 2(b) provides a side view to show that the mopping member is small in surface and less than 1 cm thick. Dual circular mopping members attach to a flexible backing member made of a piece of circular plastic. The flexible backing member is thin and biases the mopping member against the floor. The circular mopping members are attached by a connection means to the flexible backing member. The flexible backing member and the mopping member are preferably connected by hook and loop tape to allow non-destructible reconnection. The flexible backing member has a smaller radius than the circular mopping member.

[0037] The hook and loop tape 200 is mounted at a plurality of connection points having a common radius to the axis of rotation of the circular mopping member. Strips of hook and loop tape 200 are preferably rectangular in shape having a length that is longer than the width. The length is attached so that it is perpendicular to the central axis of rotation of the circular mopping member. The best mode uses four equal distant spaced strips of hook and loop tape.

[0038] A light cloth upper side of a laminate constructed mopping member can be constructed to receive four equal distantly spaced strips of hook and loop tape located on the lower portion of the circular flexible backing member. Light cloth can form loops capable of receiving a multitude of hooks on the hook tape. Preferably, hook and loop tape is mounted to allow the hook tape portion to be above the loop tape portion. A circular flexible backing member has an upper surface portion. The best mode is about 0.3 cm thick for both the mopping member 100 and circular flexible backing member 110.

[0039] B. Coupling Transmission

[0040] The flexible backing upper side is integrally formed with a coupling FIG. 4(a) capable of receiving rotational transmission of energy and mechanical movements. The coupling comprises two mated halves. The lower portion 410 is shaped to receive the profile of the upper portion. A lower female portion having a depression is shaped to receive an upper portion. The lower portion depression is oval shaped in profile having a larger radius at the top surface that narrows along a tapered slope to an oval profile of smaller radius at the depression lower surface. The tapered profile allows an interference fit between a lower portion 410 and an upper portion 510.

[0041] The coupling is connected to a shaft driven by a motor. FIG. 4(b) shows that the flexible backing upper side 111 may be integrally formed with the lower portion of a coupling 410 by creating a single part made from a single piece of plastic. The coupling 410 allows detaching and reattaching of the flexible backing upper side from the rotational shaft. Detaching and reattaching may be necessary to clean and maintain the device.

[0042] The upper portion 510 comprises an oval shaped protrusion capable of interference fit in a lower portion. FIG. 5(a) shows a top of view of the upper half of a coupling assembly 510. The upper half of the coupling assembly 510 includes an aperture 522 for securing the coupling assembly to a shaft protruding from the bottom face of the housing. FIG. 5(b) and FIG. 5(c) further show that the upper half of the coupling assembly is oval shaped having an oval shaped soft rubber nub protrusion 530 to assist in frictional engagement and interference fit with the lower half of the coupling assembly.

[0043] During rotation of the coupling force is transmitted from the upper portion oval shaped protrusion into the lower female portion 410. The interference fit is improved by transmission of rotational force and from force applied downward on the coupling members from the weight of the device. A user can detach the coupling by hand and reattach the coupling by hand.

[0044] C. Gear Transmission

[0045] The preferred embodiment uses a single electric motor to drive the dual counter rotating circular members. The motor can be designed to operate by batteries stored in the housing or by household current. Where a single motor drives counter rotating circular members, transmission of energy and mechanical movement is through a series of gears, such that the gears transmit power from said single electric motor to counter rotated circular mopping members.

[0046]FIG. 6(a) shows a top view of a gear assembly where power is transmitted from the motor gear 610 to the mopping gear 620. The gear assembly can comprise up to about five rotating disks having surfaces designed to interact via surface friction. Surface friction allows slippage to limit transmitted force and thereby prevent a jammed element from damaging the remainder of the device such as the remainder of the gear assembly or the remainder of the device elements. The gear assembly can also comprise traditional gears having interlocking teeth although this is not necessary. FIG. 6(b) shows a side view of the gear assembly illustrating vertical displacement in some gears.

[0047] Circular mopping members can include a means to eliminate surface imperfections via polishing or mopping. It is possible to use a variety of means to attach the mopping member to the backing member. The mopping members are preferably attached by hook and loop tape that allows removable mopping member pads to be attached and detached from a base piece. The circular members are flexible and about 0.3 inch thick. The circular member can be made of cloth, paper, or any material commonly used to mop floors. The top face of the circular member preferably has four rectangular strips of hook and loop tape FIG. 2, 200. The rectangular strips have a short width and a longer length. The strips are positioned having lengths parallel to a pre defined circular pattern.

[0048] The configuration of the gears is predetermined to rotate the drive shaft with sufficient force and speed for various types of cleaning. Optionally, multiple gear paths can be made available to allow a mechanical switch to move a gear in order to reroute power in a different manner. In addition, the motor speed or voltage can be varied or modulated to create different cleaning movements. Preferably in a single motor is used but it is also possible to achieve the same results by use of independent motors. Gears are preferred but belts or direct drive can achieve the same result.

[0049] Wheels optionally support the rear portion of the mop device. Wheels in the rear of the housing support the device to allow more efficient traverse of flooring. The Motors are attached to the housing. The housing forms a handle capable of being held by a user. The user can manipulate the handle to move the device over various flooring as it is cleaned.

[0050] A user can replace the mopping member by detaching it from the backing member. A user can also remove the mopping member temporarily. to wring the mopping member dry. A user can wash the mopping member for reuse by detaching the backing member at the coupling. A user can also detach the backing member at the coupling to use the mopping member manually by holding the backing member and the lower portion of the coupling.

[0051] The housing can be made of separate parts that are connected such as sonically welded to create an integral housing. Various parts can be constructed in flat panels. One such flat panel comprises a plastic part preferably plastic injection molded to include apertures capable of holding a motor drive shaft as well as gear shafts placed in the apertures. The apertures are reinforced and the reinforcement can be structured in the form of symmetrical and Cartesian rectangular oriented reinforcement structures in the shape of crosses. FIG. 7(a) shows rectangular oriented reinforcement structures in a lower panel of a housing. The panel includes two pairs of three reinforced apertures. The rectangular oriented reinforcement structures also expedite identification of apertures during manual assembly. The lower panel further includes apertures for screw mounting, apertures for motor mounting and aperture for placement of a pair of mopping members. FIG. 7(b) clarifies that the lower panel of the housing is substantially flat and planar in geometry. 

1. A cleaning device for a floor comprising: a. a housing having a handle, wherein said housing retains a motor; b. a pair of a set of gears in series comprising a left set and a right set, wherein both sets receive power from said motor, wherein the housing retains both sets of gears in a substantially bilateral and symmetrical fixed configuration; c. a pair of couplings of the same size and shape comprising a left coupling and a right coupling each comprising two halves, wherein an upper half has a protrusion matedly and non-destructively reconnectable from a depression formed in a lower half, the upper half of the pair of couplings individually connected to their respective set of gears so that the left set of gears is attached to the upper half of the left coupling and the right set of gears is attached to the upper half of the right coupling, both pairs of couplings receiving power from the motor through the gear sets, whereby a user can temporarily disconnect the coupling halves for maintenance; d. a pair of backing members of the same size and shape each individually attached to their respective lower coupling half; e. a pair of circular mopping members of the same size and shape each individually attached to their respective backing members by an attachment means allowing non-destructive attachment and reattachment between the circular mopping members and the backing members, whereby a user can remove circular mopping members for replacement, cleaning or wringing, wherein the circular mopping members rotate when the device is activated, wherein rotation of the circular mopping members capable of cleaning the floor. f. a vertical adjustment mechanism limiting downward force applied on circular mopping members by raising said housing above the floor.
 2. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein gears are configured to allow the circular mopping members to operate in counter rotation, wherein circular mopping members share the same rate of angular rotation, from the perspective of a user standing behind the device, a left mopping member rotates clockwise and a right mopping member rotates counterclockwise.
 3. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein gears are configured to allow the circular mopping members to operate in counter rotation, wherein circular mopping members share the same rate of angular rotation, from the perspective of a user standing behind the device, a left mopping member rotates counterclockwise and a right mopping member rotates clockwise.
 4. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein circular mopping members are made from a light cloth upper side and a paper lower side, wherein a variety of cleaning surfaces can be applied as the paper lower side for a variety of cleaning applications.
 5. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein the housing, gears, backing members and vertical adjustment mechanism is made of plastic.
 6. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein the vertical adjustment mechanism consists of three plastic wheels.
 7. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein the vertical adjustment mechanism consists of sliders mounted on a lower portion of the housing.
 8. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein the pair of backing members is plastic, circular and each have a thickness of 0.26 to 0.34 cm.
 9. The cleaning device of claim 1 wherein the attachment means comprises hook and loop tape, said hook and loop tape mounted at a plurality of connection points having a common radius to the axis of rotation of circular mopping members, strips of hook and loop tape preferably rectangular in shape having a length longer than a width, the length attached perpendicular to the central axis of rotation of circular mopping members, four equal distant spaced strips of hook and loop tape being used.
 10. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein a light cloth upper side of a laminate constructed mopping member receives four equal distantly spaced strips of hook and loop tape located on a lower portion of circular and flexible backing members, light cloth forming loops capable of receiving a multitude of hooks on the hook tape, hook and loop tape mounted to allow the hook tape portion to be above the loop tape portion, a circular flexible backing member having an upper surface portion, wherein mopping members are both between 0.26 to 3.4 cm thick and circular flexible backing members are both about 0.26 to 3.4 cm thick. 